For awhile now, LE has been a little less than what it used to be. Many of the things that I had been doing daily/weekly haven’t been done and I know they’ve been missed. Especially by me.
This April will be my tenth year as a book blogger/reviewer/web journalist (call us what you want)…nine years since Literary Escapism was officially launched (it wasn’t named LE before that); and in that time I’ve met some amazing people, read amazing books, added SOOOO MANY books to my TBR list (does anyone have a stack anymore?), and have done things I never would have dreamed of doing before. LE has grown from just me sharing my passion of reading to including seventeen other reviewers over the years.
I started this journey because I found the urban fantasy genre. Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, JR Ward – these were authors I didn’t know existed, were writing books that are fantastic – and I wanted more. I wanted to find others and immerse myself in an alternate world where magic and vampires and anything in ones imagination was possible. I wanted an escape from reality and found it in books.
And then I wanted to talk about it, but no one wanted to listen. A friend asked if I wanted to review these books for her site and I haven’t stopped since. Granted she did, but if she hadn’t, I wouldn’t have started my own, and in doing so, found a whole online community of readers who loved these books just as much as I did. I’ve met readers who are just as crazy as I am, seen authors celebrating their first published novel, and have mourn the ending of a series with others who understood that these just weren’t characters in a book, but people we’ve spent time with!
My passion and enthusiasm for reading has never waned. I’ve passed it on to my own children and have discussed my fascination with it as a panelist at conventions. I WANT to continue sharing all the fabulous books, but I’ve gotten to a point where I’m not sure how to anymore. Now there are so many doing what I’m doing – book blogging went through an explosion in recent years – and with so many others out there, it’s hard to stand out in the crowd. I don’t want to be one of the masses – that’s the reason you don’t see book blitzes, cover reveals, and oftentimes reviews on release date here. I want to make sure I’m catching a readers interest and not bombarding them with the same content others have.
Time is a precious commodity, one I’ve been steadily losing since MonkeyMan learned to walk, and I don’t want to waste a readers (or my) time with recycled or overused ideas. We’ve gotten to a point where it’s hard to find something new to say, so we haven’t been saying anything at all. Which sucks if you ask me, because I still want to talk about these fabulous books – i.e. I cannot wait for people to read Midnight Marked by Chloe Neill so we can talk about that ending. OMG it was fabulous, and if you have been with me for awhile you should know how much I love this series. *grin*
So the girls and I have been brainstorming things we can do differently. We love talking to authors about their releases, showcasing their fabulous characters, stepping into their worlds; but what can we do that many others are not already doing. That’s the other issue. It’s not just my time, but the authors time we’re trying to think about. Many authors do not want to write guest articles any more – the sheer number of requests they get don’t generate enough traffic to justify the time to write them. So we have to think of something new that will not only attract their interest, but readers as well.
I know I’m rambling, but this has been on my mind for awhile. I love sharing all the books, and I will continue to do so as much as I can, but I know LE has been quiet.
I guess what I’m trying to say is we’re still here. If you’ve been with me since the beginning – THANK YOU! If you have just discovered us, don’t leave yet or you are going to miss something good.
While there are many reviewers who started their own sites and have since burned out, I’m not there yet. LE is not going anywhere and will hopefully be around for another ten years; but we’re going to freshen it up a bit around here. I’m not sure how yet, but it’s going to happen, so don’t go anywhere. *grin* Now where did I put my jackhammer?
I hear you. This is why LRRH has had only blitzes and such, so there is content while I figure out what to do. Eh.
It’s hard to come up with something new…something that hasn’t been done in some form. ugh.
YES. I agree with so much of what you have said! I find myself blowing past so many posts in my RSS feed, simply because there are SO many now, and my time is even more limited. I appreciate you wanting todo quality, not quantity. Keep up the great work!
Thanks! That’s part of the reason I stopped doing the news posts. It kept taking longer and longer to get past the posts to the actual news. The downside, I feel so out of the loop now. *grin*
Jackie recently posted…Midnight Marked by Chloe Neill
You were the first book blog I found when I started getting into reading. You along with a few others were so kind to me with all my questions and comments. Then when I made the plunge into blogging you along with those few others gave me advice whenever I asked and encouraged me :) 10 years is amazing! Thank you for all you do…and I look forward to seeing you at future conventions! Like NolaCon!!!! How exciting is that going to be?
OMG…I cannot not wait for NolaCon. And we’ll get to see each other…even more to celebrate about. *grin*
That has been the one thing that has confused me over the years…how some won’t share knowledge and has treated others as competition. That shouldn’t be a thought.
Jackie recently posted…Midnight Marked by Chloe Neill
Jackie, congratulations on ten years as a book blogger. I still think you have one of the best blogs around.
Thanks John!
Book blogging has changed so much in the past decade, hasn’t it?! (Well, blogging overall has, really.) There are so many more things competing for people’s attention – Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads/Booklikes/other book sites, Tumblr… I’ve phased out contests and am down to just doing Art Journaling Mondays and Linkity Fridays. Maybe I’ll toss in a Misadventures in Stock Photography Monday again at some point, but who knows.
ANYWAY – I admire you for continuing and staying true to your blog’s main purpose. :)
Chris recently posted…Art Journaling Monday!
I love the Stock Photography Monday! That is one of the posts I loved seeing whenever I opened my feed. *grin*
Facebook/Twitter/Google+/etc has made it too easy to be fleeting. A quick note here, a quick pic there…nothing that really takes time to craft anymore. Although I am just as much guilty of that as everyone else. *grin*
Jackie recently posted…Guest Author: Anise Eden Talks All The Broken Places
Aw, thanks re the Misadventures in Stock Photography. I am a little burned out on it… :/
I can only imagine the time it takes you to find all the covers for it. If it’s anything like the news posts, I totally get it.
So glad you’re still standing! There’s definitely an art to staying active and engaged without burning out. It’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately!
I think taking the time to just step back for a bit, not be as active, has helped a lot. I was posting 3-5 times a week a few years ago, and if I had kept that up, I’m pretty sure I would have burned out. It would have been too stressful and blogging shouldn’t be about the stress.
Jackie recently posted…Guest Author: Anise Eden Talks All The Broken Places
Big hugs! You were there with me for the release of Nightwalker and you’ve cheered my books along the way. Authors would be lost without your support and enthusiasm. Thanks so much! Here is to another ten years of great things!
And I was there to mourn when you ended the series. *sigh* Still love Mira & Danaus. Don’t even get me started on Gage. *grin*